Star is an unincorporated community in Mills County in Central Texas, United States.[1] According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated population of 85 in 2000.[2]
Geography
Star is located at the junction of U.S. Highway 84 and FM 1047 and North Simms Creek in east-central Mills County, east of Goldthwaite and west of Evant. It is located near the Hamilton County line.[3]
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The Köppen Climate System describes the weather as humid subtropical, and uses the abbreviation Cfa.[4]
History
The community was laid out by Alec Street in the mid-1880s and was named for nearby Star Mountain. Street ran a store and a gin in the community. A post office was established in 1886 with Calvin Skinner as its first postmaster.[3] In 1890, the first public road opened from Star to Goldthwaite. By 1895, the community had a saloon, several grocery stores, and a drug store. A tornado struck Star on May 5, 1904. Two people were killed and five homes were completely destroyed.[5] The community recovered and a permanent church was built in 1905. In 1910, a bank opened.[2] A four-room, two-story stone school building was completed in 1913. A hailstorm damaged homes, businesses, and the school on April 22, 1924. Star's bank was robbed in 1928 and the robber got away with about $3,000 and several valuables. Four years later, during the Great Depression, the bank was sold to the Trent State Bank in Goldthwaite.[5] By 1939, Star had eight businesses operating in the community. That same year, three area schools – McGirk, Center City, and Hurst Ranch – consolidated with Star. In 1940, the W.P.A. erected a new school designed by Wyatt C. Hedrick for the Star Independent School District; it is the only school built in Mills County by the W.P.A.[6] The population stood at around 170 in the mid-1940s. The rising usage of the automobile caused a decline in the number of local businesses. By 1980, the community had an estimated population of 85. That figure remained steady through 2000.[2] It went up to 110 in 2010.[3]
Although Star is unincorporated, it does have a post office with the zip code 76880.[7]
| Name | Location | Appointment Date |
| William Ellis Reid | Star, Hamilton, Texas | 5 Aug 1884 |
| Henry Campbell | Star, Hamilton, Texas | 3 Nov 1885 |
| Calvin Skinner | Star, Hamilton, Texas | 26 Jul 1886 |
| Elliott A. Street | Star, Hamilton, Texas | 20 Jul 1892 |
| Elliott A. Street | Star, Mills, Texas | 20 Jul 1892 |
| Cademus K. Jones | Star, Mills, Texas | 5 Dec 1895 |
| Ulysses E. G. Dyer | Star, Mills, Texas | 23 Jan 1902 |
| Robert W. Garrett | Star, Mills, Texas | 4 Nov 1903 |
| Robert W. Barr | Star, Mills, Texas | 24 Feb 1912 |
| David J. Hawkins | Star, Mills, Texas | 25 Sep 1913 |
| Wm A. Hawking | Star, Mills, Texas | 15 Oct 1915 |
| Joseph D. Tumlinson | Star, Mills, Texas | 21 Mar 1918 |
| Frances M. Brooking | Star, Mills, Texas | 14 Jun 1919 |
| Bina Weathers | Star, Mills, Texas | 18 Nov 1920 |
| Fulton F. Henry | Star, Mills, Texas | 7 Apr 1921 acting |
| Fulton F. Henry | Star, Mills, Texas | 12 Jan 1922 appointed |
| Dan Waggoner | Star, Mills, Texas | 8 Aug 1922 (acting – resigned) |
| R. Q. Manning | Star, Mills, Texas | 8 Aug 1922 acting |
| R. Q. Manning | Star, Mills, Texas | 26 Dec 1922 appointed |
| Richard Q. Manning | Star, Mills, Texas | 9 Feb 1924 appointed |
| Artie Rickel | Star, Mills, Texas | 11 Feb 1925 acting |
| Artie Rickel | Star, Mills, Texas | 6 Jan 1926 appointed |
| Dan Waggoner | Star, Mills, Texas | 5 Oct 1929 acting |
| Dan Waggoner | Star, Mills, Texas | 22 Oct 1929 appointed |
| Daniel Wagoner | Star, Mills, Texas | 3 Oct 1930 appointed |
| Miss Hattie Barr | Star, Mills, Texas | 17 Jan 1936 acting |
| Miss Hattie J. Barr | Star, Mills, Texas | 31 Jul 1936 confirmed |
| Mrs. Burt Ball | Star, Mills, Texas | 1 Oct 1942 acting |
| Mrs. Burt C. Ball | Star, Mills, Texas | 20 Apr 1943 confirmed |
| Mrs. Rose L. Soules (Sheldon) | Star, Mills, Texas | 30 Jun 1955 acting |
| Mrs. Rose L. McCasland (Sheldon) | Star, Mills, Texas | 5 Aug 1957 appointed |
| Cleta C. Hunt | Star, Mills, Texas | 27 Aug 1988 OIC |
| Cleta C. Hunt | Star, Mills, Texas | 18 Sep 1993 appointed |
| Ivory L. Goff | Star, Mills, Texas | 26 Feb 1999 OIC |
| Jennifer D. Smith | Star, Mills, Texas | 22 May 1999 appointed |
| Kay Sherwood | Star, Mills, Texas | 6 Sep 2001 OIC |
| Lynette K. Franke | Star, Mills, Texas | 17 Nov 2001 appointed |
| Cindy Powers | Star, Mills, Texas | 19 Mar 2004 OIC |
| Kay S. Sherwood (Joyce Kay Sutherland) | Star, Mills, Texas | 24 Jul 2004 appointed |
Education
The community of Star is served by the Star Independent School District and is home to the Star School Tigers.
Notable person
- James Jeter, actor, was born in Star.[10][11]
References
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Star, Texas
- ^ a b c "Star, Texas". The Handbook of Texas online. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Star, Texas". Texas Escapes Online Magazine. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ Climate Summary for Star, Texas
- ^ a b "Star Historically Speaking". Written by Billie Gail Soules Day in 1948. Star Historical Museum. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
- ^ Blackwell, Hartal Langford (1976). Mills County—the Way it Was. Mills County Historical Commission. p. 143.
- ^ Zip Code Lookup Archived June 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Postmasters by City - Postmaster Finder - Who we are - About.usps.com". about.usps.com. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971; Microfilm publication M841, 145 rolls; NAID: 596306 and 17027522; Records of the Post Office Department, 1773 - 1971, Record Group 28; The National Archives in Washington, D.C.
- ^ "Jim Jeter Adresses Decora Club". Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. March 29, 1961. p. 3. Retrieved June 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "James Jeter". IMDb. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
Municipalities and communities of Mills County, Texas, United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Town | ||
| CDP | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns |
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
This page was last edited on 9 December 2023, at 03:32